Globalisation is the defining development of our age, one that has brought closer our international neighbours as well as the unfortunate reality of pandemic disease, war, poverty, corruption and environmental denigration.

Given our ability to communicate through various mediums instantaneously, we are still fairly inexperienced in managing coherent action in concert with other international actors. It seems, that in this time of global dependency, national sovereignty is catapulted to the fore, and one means of creating competitive advantage is for countries to invest in international development. Foreign aid is a complex notion and one that allows countries to “do good” whilst at the same time improving reputation and social returns and strengthening diplomatic intergovernmental relations.

A recent TEDTalk filmed in Berlin focuses on this reputation vs reality idea, ranking international actors against The Good Country Index. The presenter Simon Anholt is an international policy advisor who brings about government policy change at a behavioural level, and has done so across the globe in more than 50 countries. When at home in the UK he is part of the Foreign Office Public Diplomacy Board, and works closely with the United Nations, NGO’s and varied international agencies. You can read his full bio here and it’s quite amazing.

Simon puts forward a good argument for the number one country on his list, and it may surprise you as to who comes out on top (especially if you were rooting for America or China).

Watch the video here or click above to learn about what our international neighbours are really doing, and their past, present and future impacts on our global society.